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February 21: Last year, the idea to plant pumpkins hit me late and I wasn't able to do much with the soil before it was time to plant. This year is different. I bought an electronic soil tester, checked the garden today and got these measurements: pH 6.4 in one end of the garden and pH 6.6 in the other end. When fertility was measured, the needle was right on the line between "too little" and "ideal" in both locations. Now, the several sites say 6.0 to 6.5 pH is optimum so the average of the two readings above is right at 6.5. Adding some manure would lower that pH a little and help fertilize, which is perfect because this year I wanted to have some cow contribution in the first place. February 28: I took a temperature reading of the soil a few days ago and got an average of 55.5�F. The threshold for pretty much any plant seems to be 60�F. It's hard to find a definite answer on the web except that pumpkins like warmer soil so I'm thinking 70�F? Anyways, I've taken steps to help that along. First, I tilled the soil so that it could warm up faster. Being packed would keep it cooler I'm sure. Then I added a bag of manure (it was already composted according to the label). With a rough calculation, I figure that I mixed in one part to eight parts soil. Last year, I used one in two for burying vine tips. That may have been too strong, especially being hot in the afternoon, since those tips soon died at the point of entry. I didn't want to skimp either where it wouldn't make a difference so hopefully I have a good balance this time. March 2: Soil Temperature: 59.5�F It looks like the tilling and manure is warming things up along with the rising air temperature.

March 8:
Lumina Planting Day.
Planting Day? Planting Day? Yes this is Texas, not upstate New York or Alberta where a shovel would still snap in half if plunged into the permafrost. I am also intrigued by two growing seasons. Luminas are first because they keep so well for months according to personal experience and testimonials from others. Later on, I will try a giant variety.
The long-term forecast here says the weather looks good as far into the future as one can see, no sight of any more winter this season. The soil is now in the lower 60s�F, depending on the spot. That is probably the temperature in late April-May much further north where they really grow alot of pumpkins. I was originally going to plant in mid-March but with these prospects I did so today. The packet of Lumina seeds I am using this year touts 18-20lb. pumpkins, versus 10-12lb. last year's packet claimed. I filed the edges of the five seeds and planted them in three spots, one-two-two.

March 11:
Soil Temperature: 67.0�F

March 16:
Soil Temperature: 67.2�F
Hmm, last year the seeds sprouted on the fifth day, this is day nine. I planted one of last year's seed (from the packet, not the pumpkin) nearby to see what would happen. The Morning Glories I am hoping to use as a heat shield from the rock garden were planted and have now sprouted in half that time.

March 19:
Lumina Sprouting Day.
Finally they appear on day twelve. Two are present, one each in two of the three spots where seeds are planted. Actually, I originally planned to plant on the 15th so their showing today fits that old timetable; I therefore am glad I planted earlier.

March 27:
Soil Temperature: 70.1�F
That test seed sprouted on Thursday (25th) and is growing gloriously. However, the others are not doing anything now. In the end, they only had a 60% germination rate compared to the 100% of that test seed's comrades from last year. So, in a few days I'll pull them up and get ready to plant the larger variety with seeds from the older source. I'm glad the soil is now above 70�F, maybe the soil temperature played a role in that ordeal.

April 24:
Prizewinner Planting Day
I filed the edges of six seeds and soaked them in warm water for several hours. Then I placed them in a wet paper towel inside a plastic bag. The bag is in a warm place. Those seeds are quite impressive in size; I wonder what an Atlantic Giant looks like in person.
By this schedule and the seed packet projection of 120 days (last year's 90 was more like 100), the pumpkins should be ready for harvest in early September, cure themselves for the rest of the month, and then be ready for October. It should also allow for some late pumpkins.

May 4:
Hmm, no sprouts yet. It has been 11 days. I did some delicate probing and found the primary leaves of one right below the soil surface. The seed casing was nowhere to be found, which is a relief since they are so thick on these large pumpkins. Also, the root stem immediately below was quite strong. So, I carefully covered it and watered the garden with a very mild fertilizer solution.
However, as a precaution I planted two more seeds nearby after a brief water soak. They are from another packet I bought today and they actually look like regular seeds despite the Prizewinner label and being from the same company. The other seeds were bigger and actually had an orange color to them; these are white. Oh well, I read that small seeds still can produce the larger fruit. As a pre-precaution, I also started a seed in each of four pots.

May 9:
O.k., that seed I tinkered with popped through the soil on May 5th and is growing beautifully now. The soil temperature that day was 71.2�F. Another one is just starting to peek through. I looked for it yesterday by loosening the soil above it. The former is already sprouting its first true leaf and looks bigger than the Lumina seedlings last year. I put crawling insect killer around the garden and sand around the plants to stop the slugs. I'll spray in the coming days, I didn't want to harm the sprouts with an immediate application.

May 17:
The seed peeking through on May 9th didn't break through the soil and the cotyledons were turning yellowish brown so yesterday I removed it. I wonder why those larger seeds had such a poor germination rate? I'll definitely start those in pots in the future. In that same space, I transplanted one of my potted plants. The two seeds I directly planted have sprouted and look quite nice, perhaps being better than the transplant. Their first true leaves are pointed in the wrong direction but I may keep and try to train those plants. I also erected the shade cover today. The plants, especially the big one, are starting to wilt in full sun.
The May 5th plant is growing well. However, I found some small brown eggs on the main stem and up one leaf stem. I also found a few under the cotyledons on another sprout nearby. They were between 1/32 and 1/16 of an inch wide. These have to be Squash Vine Borer eggs so I removed and crushed them. I took pictures of a few beforehand and will add them to my site in the near future. I sprayed the plants with Malathion afterwards. Last year I didn't know about, look for or control SVBs until they had made a home in my vines, I hope more careful observation and the abovementioned spray (which specifically lists SVB) can keep them away this year. I also fertilized the plants with regular Miracle-Gro.

May 21:
Soil Temperature: 76.8�F
Measurements: V1 (May 5th sprout) - 6�" tall, 6�" leaves

May 26:
Measurements: V1 - 14" tall, 8" leaves
The plants are doing well. For comparison, last year's three weeks from sprouting timeframe had a vine at 12" tall with 9" leaves. Tendrils on V1 (those stringy things I didn't know the name of last year) are forming and the plant is starting to lean. It is angled 30� from my desired direction but that is not bad, I'll carefully redirect it when I can. The other plants are shorter but have leaves just as large. The cotyledons on one of the other directly sowed plants are yellowed and shriveling, I wonder what that means? The rest of the plant is fine though. The transplanted plant is shorter (probably from burying it a little deeper) but it has the largest leaves.
Once again I am at an agonizing place where I have to start thinking about thinning the population down but all look too good to pull. V1 stays obviously since I named it and it is larger than the rest. I was planning for two but I might get suckered into leaving three. One of the other two directly sowed plants in the middle are likely to go since they are right next to each other. The yellowed cotyledons might seem to be the removal choice but its leaves are slightly larger than the nearby plant. Decisions, decisions.
I sprayed with Malathion again; I saw no SVB eggs. Except for the isolated spot on some, most leaves are smooth and green. Two earlier leaves on V1 were crinkled in shape but the ones formed since look fine. No suspicious bugs have been observed in the garden thus far.

May 28:
Measurements: V1 - 21" long, 10" leaves, Other directly sowed plants - 10" tall, 8" leaves
Notice I say long on V1 since it is now leaning. It actually wound up leaning 135� from my desired direction so I nudged it to lean back to 30� like its first true leaf and initial growth indicated. I used a clothes-hanger U from last year to keep it from moving back and another U to keep it from leaning so much that it might split. I also erected a "permanent" wind barrier since the plants are so vulnerable now to whipping around in the wind (which caused last year's splits). It will stay until the plants grab the grass well enough.
The transplanted plant isn't looking too good. The leaves crinkled and the newest ones turned brown. The older ones also have spots all over them. It seems my mind has been made up for me as to at least one plant that will be removed. I sprayed it a little more than the others; I think that is what has been causing those strange leaf crinklings. Yet, I remember some misshaping on my earlier plantings that weren't treated. I'll dilute the spray in the future just in case and only apply it to the stem and vine itself and keep a watch out for any eggs on the leaves. I think if a larva did hatch on the leaf it would travel to the treated stem and die there anyways. Or perhaps I'll use a lesser pesticide on the leaf surfaces when I start to see problems, I'll think about it.

May 30:
I removed the lower U so V1 could lean more. At first that was going to be my only activity in the patch today but then I spotted more SVB eggs on the plants. I tried tweezers this time but I couldn't grab them and I feared puncturing the stems. So, I returned to using my fingers but I dropped one. Then I dropped another. I couldn't find them on the ground since they are so small and soil-looking so I stopped to think of a better way. Right way, the idea of duct tape came to mind. I touched the eggs with little squares of it and they came off beautifully. The tape didn't stick to the plants at all, probably because of all those little hairs on the stems. I was extra careful on one or two eggs I found on leaf surfaces just in case though. Each plant even had several on their bases at soil level where they go into the ground. Actually, I wouldn't have seen them if I hadn't dropped the two above and went looking for them, so a great deal of good actually came from my initial blunder. I also used a small mirror on a telescoping rod to see in difficult places. Overall, about two-dozen or slightly more were removed. At the end, I sprayed the ground where I dropped the two hoping that will kill them. I hope it does or that their removal will starve them dead from a lack of immediate food source.

June 3:
Backup Hill Planted
Measurement: V1 is 32" long
Big trouble in the patch is brewing again. A big vine borer larva was found in one of those other two plants. I noticed the mush near where the cotyledon was and I marched into action. After it was over, a hole the size of a drinking straw was left by the borer and a one inch slit was left by me. I applied sulphur to the wound and propped a nearby section up with crosswise bamboo sticks. I don't know how that one got by me but it did. I guess I'll have to be even more anal in my inspections and think of even more ways to control them. I removed the Morning Glory fence so I can have even better access to all angles of the plants. I also planted three seeds in the area where the transplant used to be just in case. I mixed some Miracle-Gro soil into that area.
V1 is growing slowly but nicely. It rained a little last night so I hope that type of water will help speed things up. The other plant looks fine too. I hope they don't get infected by a SVB, I'll do a detailed inspection tomorrow of everything.

June 5:
Measurements: V1 is 34" long with largest leaf 11", V2 is 16" tall with 10" leaves
Soil Temperature: 78.6�F
I'll go ahead and call the other good plant V2 since it looks alright. The other one though will need more watching. It is starting to lean and some tendrils have appeared but it still hasn't lengthened much since. V1 is now at the edge of the garden and growing in the right direction after gradual coaxing by me. It adds about an inch in length per day. V2 is still standing straight up and is now quite taller than any other pumpkin plant I've seen before. I hope it leans soon without injury, I might have to prop it up some if it tries to do so too quickly. I watered deeply with the soaker but currently it still stands straight. Finally, I bought some Miracle-Gro ProSelect fertilizer, which is 20-20-20 versus 15-30-15. That is more nitrogen than can help vine growth. I'll use some in a few days.

June 8:
Well this has been a frustrating year for growing pumpkins. V2 snapped right off at the base, probably because it was getting too tall and wouldn't lean. There has been rain and wind in the area the past two days. A wind barrier was erected all around the garden but even that didn't help. The SVB damaged plant is splitting down from the hole towards the soil. V1 developed a split about three feet out where it was growing too high up instead of growing horizontally, now it is horizontal. V1 still looks good but the other two have had it. The recently planted seeds have yet to sprout. The plant population is now at a critical low; the window for giants may have closed by now. If I try them again in future years I'll need more plants to start with and even more support systems for the vines. I'll start over with Luminas when the weather improves so at least some decent pumpkins can be produced this year.

June 10:
Yesterday we had seven inches of rain. The split in V1 grew several inches and the other vine started to split from the SVB hole down towards soil level. It also split on the other side so you could see through the vine. Needless to say I pulled them up today. The recently planted seeds have yet to sprout. So, I planted seven Lumina seeds equidistant in a row after filing the edges and soaking them in water for a few hours. Let's hope they grow well like last year minus the problems from my inexperience at that time (SVB, wind barriers, etc.).

June 15:
Lumina Sprouting Day
Three sprouts have made their appearance. The cotyledons are sure small now that I have seen giant seed sprouts.

June 16:
Three more made their appearance today. One though has a cotyledon that is about 85% absent. It doesn't look like insect damage as it is "cut" straight across. The other leaf looks just fine. Perhaps it was broken in the seed casing, even though the seed looked fine when I planted it. I'll leave it and see what it does. Yesterday's sprouts have much larger cotyledons today too. I laid down a sand barrier and a crawling insect powder barrier beyond that last night. I caught a tiny slug near one of the seedlings but it doesn't look like it did any harm. I dropped it in the sand to see what happens, it is true that slugs do not like sand. I inspected for SVB eggs and found none. I watered lightly to fill in the open bases around the seedlings caused by their emergence.

June 23:
Measurements: Average Height 7" (one at 9"), Average Leaf Width 5"
Ah the rainy season. I am like last year covering up the plants with flower pots and other items to keep the rain from hitting them with a damaging force. I uncover them when each storm line passes so they can get a breather. I really need to think about a hoop-house in the future. The garden is getting nicely watered though. I am visually inspecting the plants every three to four days for SVB eggs, none have been spotted so far. That seventh seed never did sprout. The rest are very healthy looking. I planted three more seeds a few days ago as backups.

June 24:
Tonight I inspected the garden and found a cockroach eating on one of those backup sprouts that just made its appearance today. I didn't know roaches ate plants like that. So, I sprayed the perimeter with roach spray, hitting several directly as they ran about like crazy. The powder seems to do well but risks getting too wet in this weather, I may use it again if a decent dry spell happens. The plants are getting taller so I am constantly adapting my cover strategy: larger pots, secondary shade cover right above leaf level, lawn chairs, etc. The rainwater is fostering nice growth.

June 27:
Measurements: Average Height 8", Average Leaf Width 6"
Today there was enough of a break in the rain that has been drenching us for days now to work with the plants. First, I inspected for SVB eggs again and found none. I added Miracle-Gro Pro-Select, a 20-20-20 fertilizer I also just discovered. The regular only has 15% nitrogen. Then I lightly sprayed the stems and bases with Malathion just to still catch the SVB on the outside. The plants all look healthy, the backups are coming up nicely too except the one that has been eaten on.

June 29:
Arrrrg, now we are having the flood of the century (I know, overused term). Nature has sure been making it extra hard for me this year. After a week of passing rainstorms, we had one today that just kept training all day long. The plants didn't take to this very well. All except one are learning sharply like they do when they vine. But, they are too young to do that. Thankfully they look fine without any splits. Who knows, this might be a good thing since all except one are pointed in the right direction and they can get through the leaning part of their life cycle without splits being so young and thin. However, I took some "U" stakes and propped them back up some so they won't be leaning too much compared to earlier. I may make them stand straight up again or retain some lean, it depends on how things go.

July 3:
Measurements: Average height 12", Runt is 10", Most leaves at least 6", some larger up to 8"
The plants are recovering from the rains. They still look like they lost a few days growth from last week but they are growing and standing back up again with the help of my "U" stakes. The runt is the one that has the missing cotyledon; it is smaller than the rest but still in the race. The few backup sprouts are looking fine, but another one has a nibble off a leaf that must have happened when I wasn't looking. The ground is still wet but starting to dry out on the surface. Finally, two of the largest plants are starting to form tendrils.

July 6:
Measurements: Average height 14", Average leaf width 6.5-7", Largest plant 17" tall with 9" leaves
Last night, one of the plants started to lean. So, I braced it with bamboo Xs so it wouldn't lean too much at once and split. I also put Xs up around the largest plant so it wouldn't be damaged by wind being so tall. Now is the time for them to lean, I am going to flood the garden tonight so they can begin this process. All (except later planted ones) have tendrils and vine tips. However, I did battle with the SVB this morning too. I saw an adult moth hovering around my plants. I gently coaxed it away from the leaves and then killed it with the flyswatter. Afterwards, I inspected the plants inch-by-inch and found eight eggs in all, about one or two on each plant. They have been popped and now reside on duct tape in the garbage can.

July 7:
They are now leaning. However, they didn't lean enough last night after watering the ground like I did last year. I was thinking about what to do next and then it occurred to me to water the plants themselves this morning; that made them lean. However, overnight the largest developed a split about an inch-and-a-half long about six inches from the ground. I feared this would happen with this large plant being too heavy, I need to make such plants lean sooner than the rest in the future.
I tried an experiment. After thinking of what could help push the split back together to heal I decided on clothespins with the springs weakened so they wouldn't crush the vine. I observed very carefully and continually for a few hours until the area started to flatten and a crack hinted it wanted to begin on the other side. So off they came and my final conclusion is to leave cracks alone after bracing the vine from wind movement. Oh well, at least it was a learning exercise. At least I also have five other vines and a plant a week younger than those waiting for its lean that look fine. I hope they stay fine too.

July 12:
Measurements: Longest vine 28" with 9 �" leaves; Average length 26"; Backup plant 18" high with 8" leaves
The backup plant above is doing great, it had big cotyledons so I had a feeling it would. I started the leaning process for it tonight and I hope to finish tomorrow without damaging it any. I hope it stays safe tonight too and doesn't develop a split. Most of the other original plants are doing fine as well. The two farthest from the fence are lagging behind in size though. One developed two splits that probably developed from its strange quest to grow in circles instead of straight and the other (the runt of them all) has flattened severely at one point in the base stem. I wonder if that is what the expert growers refer to as a flat vine? Well, that is why I planted that many, so that some will come out good - I just hope that no more defects or other problems arise. I may make the backup vine grow across the garden towards that area to fill it in. In all that's five good vines.
I removed the shade cover because I think the plants need more sun. First of all, I watched a program on T.V. that said wilting in the sun is a natural process that a squash plant has for reducing surface area of the leaves and thus water loss. Second, the ground is still very wet and the least amount of water will just stand there. We had another inch of rain over the weekend. Green mold is also appearing on the soil surface. Third, I want to see if I can move the vines slightly, most of them are growing together and I want them to actually start diverging in their paths. Finally, most of the vines will be in the sun anyways as they grow. The vines will be even more in the sun because over the past week I removed a nearby rock garden and planted grass. The things we do for pumpkins!
As for pest patrol, I inspected the vines but not as thoroughly as before. They are starting to get too long for me to get in all the places with the mirror. I trimmed a few of the oldest leaves and a few cotyledons that were going bad. The leaves were also too crowded and several were in the dirt or on top of each other from the vine leanings. Trimming will also help with air circulation. I did my best in looking and then sprayed all the vines and leaf stems with Malathion. I also put some slug bait down so those critters don't chew on my plants.

July 14:
Measurements: V1 is 28" long, V2 is 36", V3 is 33", V4 is 32", V5 is 18", V6 is 27", V7 is 19"; Largest leaves are 10" wide on V2, other leaves average 8-9" wide; for easier measuring - V2 is 22" from base to outer edge of garden (14" beyond at the moment), V3 is 26" (7" beyond), and V4 is 26" (6" beyond)
O.k., I'm labeling the vines to keep them straight (no pun intended - though desired in the other sense). V1-4 are the original four that are the best. V1 is nearest the fence, V2 is next on down to V4. V5 is the best backup described earlier, it is smaller but shows great potential. V6 is the original vine farthest from the fence with the desire to grow in circles, several splits and smaller leaves but still hanging in there. V7 is the runt with the one cotyledon and now a flattened part of the vine; it is small but still there too.
V5 is now laying down. I plan to make it grow along the backside of the other vines and then out into the yard where V6 and V7 would grow. A small split one inch long occurred in the vine about six inches from the base. It was braced very well; I don't see how that could have happened but as I have been reading splits are not totally avoidable. Even V2 has another split that looks like it hasn't gone totally through to expose the center yet. It must be from the limpness and stiffness caused by the daily sun; the vine tip hasn't had much to grab and anchor itself with - combined with the weight of the leaves. Hopefully it doesn't split further and the vine grabs something very soon.
Now it is time for some observations. I think it may be wise to start the vine leaning a week earlier than in this season and last. I have been doing it three weeks from sprouting. Last year, they leaned by themselves after watering. This year they were harder to lean. I have noticed the soil is harder this year. It must have been the manure plus the earlier starts with giant Luminas and Prizewinners that made it harder now. To meet the growing deadlines when starting each crop after a destructive natural event, I didn't till because it would have been mud anyways. Water stays in the soil longer this year as well. I must add some compost for next season to make it looser. Looser soil combined with thinner vines will hopefully make leaning and directing growth easier and help avoid splits. Oh, and build a protective tent so sprouts would be even better protected along with my sleep cycle.
Finally, let's end on a positive note. Things are going well compared to last year. This is Day 29 (not counting sprouting day), which correlates to June 17's entry in last year's log. The longest vine at this point in 2003 was also 36" and the leaves were about the same size. The other vines are of similar size as their counterparts last year too.

July 20:
Measurements: V1 is 52" long, V2 is 65", V3 is 54", V4 is 61", V5 is 41", V6 is 48", V7 is 43"; for easier measuring - V1 is 28" from base to outer edge of garden (24" beyond at the moment), V6 is 24" (24" beyond), and V7 is 36" (7" beyond)
The vines are all growing several inches a day now. Three to four inches are the minimum while the record so far is 8" on V2 in a 24-hour period. They have been getting Pro-Select 20-20-20 on a weekly basis. I have also been inspecting the vines once a week for SVB eggs. I still can get in to look at most places save for a few, perhaps more so after the trimming last time. No eggs have been spotted and I hope none exist where I couldn't look. Afterwards, I spray all the vines and leaf stems with Malathion. I had to spray a few of the leaves nearest the bases and under the shade cover with Fungicide after some white spots appeared, they were probably from the heavy rains and crowded conditions awhile back. All the vines are pretty much growing in the desired directions but I am redirecting some slightly with help from the afternoon sun. Finally, I did break from the above cycle today and soaked the soil with a hose since the top few inches were pretty dry according to the meter. Perhaps this will also help push some fertilizer further down to the deeper roots. The vines last year also did well after a periodic drenching.

Go to Part 2

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